The Duel Part One
by Keplaz
Summary: After defeating Voldemort, Harry receives a mysterious owl from a deadly enemy.
1. Chapter 1

The Duel Part One

"Your move," the first boy said, running a hand through his flaming red hair. His voice was gruff and deep, he was more man than child.

The other boy who sat opposite him had untidy jet black hair and wore thick round spectacles. Rays from the cold winter sun sparkled on his glasses. If one didn't look too closely at the lightning scar on his forehead, you would have thought he was just another teenager, not Harry Potter, the boy who lived and the reason the Dark Lord was no more.

"Queen to Bishop 3," Harry said, instantly regretting it as a smirk appeared on Ron's face, for that was the other boy's name.

"I meant Queen to Knight 5," he started to say, but it was too late as he watched the angry white queen march across the chessboard, waving her a tiny first at Harry, before pulling out a sword and thrusting it brutally into Ron's bishop.

Harry knew what was coming next and he got up in disgust, stretching his arms.

"I forfeit," he said, as he knocked his King over.

Harry and Ron had spent many of their days like this, lazing about in the sun, either playing chess or hunting the fat gnomes that lived in the garden of the Burrow. This was the first break they had had in a while and the whole furore over the defeat of the Dark Lord and the rebuilding that had followed it, was continuing very slowly.

"This is getting boring, mate. Maybe we should go to Diagon Alley or something. Take the girls to Florean's for ice cream," Ron said.

Harry's face brightened. Every time he thought about Ginny his heart missed a beat. He saw her nearly every day and when he wasn't playing chess with Ron and Hermione, he was entwined somewhere with Ginny, making up for lost time.

"I still don't like you having that look on your face when you think about my sister," Ron said, "It's weird and wrong and I know what you are thinking because I'm thinking the same about Hermione but she's my sister. Not Hermione, Ginny I mean."

Ron's face had flushed with colour and was nearly as bright as his hair.

"Ginny's in Ireland, remember? Don't worry, Ron. I'll take care of her. And I don't think I was thinking quite what you were, mate," he said with a laugh.

"Mum's been talking about us getting jobs and getting married and stuff. I know Kingsley said when we were ready we could both work as aurors at the ministry. It's just weird considering this time a few months ago we were camping in the forest of Dean, now we are out of Hogwarts."

Harry nodded his head. He was thinking about the Battle of Hogwarts and the final defeat of the Greatest Dark Wizard there had ever been, and the friends and families that had died for that very cause. It was during his reverie that something swooped at him rapidly from the sky.

"Duck, Harry," Hermione shouted, standing at the door of the Burrow.

Harry with the reflexes of the seeker, dove to the ground.

"Mental," Ron said, "It's an owl!"

The owl was a beautiful tawny bird and it circled once around the sky and then swooped at Harry again, its sharp talons gleaming in the golden sunlight. Harry tried to move out of the way but the bird's aim was true, as if grabbing a field mouse or hunting some small game, it latched onto Harry's arm, digging into his flesh and Harry felt the sharp pain that seared through his body.

Hermione had her wand out in an instant and was about to aim a well chosen curse at the bird but it didn't linger. It seemed to vomit a thin tube out of its mouth and was off Harry's arm and soaring high into the sky again within seconds.

"Ouch!" Harry yelled grabbing his arm.

"Bloody hell, mate," Ron said, "That bird was just mental."

"Are you OK, Harry?" Hermione asked, racing to his side, wand still in her hand.

The sleeve of Harry's jumper was drenched in blood.

"Do I look, O..." he started to say but was interrupted by a scream from Hermione.

"What?" He said.

Ron's face had been completely drained of blood and was powder white. He was pointing at the tube on the floor. Hermione was now staring open mouthed at the tube.

"Not again..." Ron muttered.

"Could someone please tell me what's going on!" Harry demanded.

Ron was now looking positively terrified and he was staring at Harry, shaking his head.

The tube was black and sealed at both ends in red. If Harry didn't know better he would have sworn it was

"Blood," Hermione said.

"I've read about it in Magick Most Evil, I think it's a Cruoris-Nota, Harry. A blood letter," She looked into Harry's deep green eyes, her voice shaking, "They used to be sent by Dark Wizards challenging other wizards to duels. They are sealed with the sender's blood and the only person who can open it is the one being challenged."

Harry reached instinctively for the scar that hadn't pained him since Voldemort had died.

"He can't be back, Hermione. I haven't felt my scar hurt. And that doesn't seem like such evil magic to me," he said, sounding braver than he felt.

It was Ron who answered.

"Thing is mate, you have to drop your own blood on the tube to open the message. That's why the owl attacked you. Once you've opened it, you automatically accept the duel. Your blood mixing with the sender's blood makes it binding. That's why the owls are trained to swallow the tubes, so no one knows what they are sending."

Hermione looked impressed.

"I didn't know you'd read, Magicke Most Evil, Ron," she said.

Ron beamed.

"I had to didn't I, when we were hunting horcruxes. You can't beat an enemy you don't understand. That's what Dumbledore said."

Hermione threw herself at Ron and kissed him full on the mouth.

Harry coughed loudly.

"Sorry to interrupt but there's still a bloody tube on the ground."

Hermione and Ron pulled apart, looking slightly embarrassed.

Ron guffawed.

"Bloody tube, good one," he muttered.

Harry made to unroll his sleeve.

"You are not going to open it are you?" Hermione shrieked.

"He has to. How else will we know who sent it?" Ron said, shaking his head.

"But didn't any of you listen, it's binding. Once Harry opens it, he has to duel whoever sent it."

"I don't have to do it now do I? I could just find out who it is and get Kingsley to send some aurors to their house. It's so cool having the Minister of Magic as your friend."

Ron nodded, agreeing with Harry. Hermione looked at them both and frowned at Ron.

"You clearly didn't finish the chapter, Ron. If Harry opens the message and doesn't meet the dueller at the agreed place within twenty four hours he dies," she said, looking worried again.

The Burrow, which was the name of the Weasley's house, if one could call it a house, was currently very empty. Ron's parents had taken Ginny with them to visit the Prewett's, Ron's cousins, in Ireland leaving the three teenagers alone to rest and recover away from the public eye. Harry already a celebrity, had become a national treasure in the days following the Dark Lord's demise and had needed some time to relax away from the adoring masses.

Harry winced as his arm throbbed.

"Let me heal it for you," Hermione said, noticing Harry's expression and pointing her wand at his arm.

Harry covered his arm with his other hand.

"No, Hermione. It won't end will it? If I ignore this one, whoever sent it will another one. It's best to just get it over with it. What if it's the Death Eaters again? The only way we can prevent them from getting strong again is to fight them now."

Hermione was shaking her head.

"We can get the Order. Let's call Mr and Mrs Wealey or even George and see what they think. We can't fight Death Eaters by ourselves, Harry."

"No one else will die for me again. I won't allow it. The Cruoris-Nota was sent to me. I can end this before it gets out of hand. With you two beside me, we can take on anyone," Harry said forcing a grin.

"Just do it, mate," Ron said trying to sound nonchalant but his shaking knees not helping the illusion.

The blood on his arm was not flowing as freely but Harry squeezed slightly and picked up the thin tube. He positioned it under his arm and allowed a few scarlet drops to fall on each red end of the Cruoris-Nota. Nothing happened for a few moments and then the tube suddenly became scorching hot and Harry threw it to the ground.

Both ends of the tube were now glowing red and there was a popping sound, like a bottle of fire whiskey being uncorked, and billows of black smoke poured out of the tube. The smoke arranged itself in the shape of giant dagger and writing appeared in the smoke in a bright red colour as if written in blood by an unseen hand.

_The place of the Dark Lord's last defeat,_

_Will be the place where we too must meet._

_Near the marble where lies my prize,_

_Is the tomb where one of us dies._

_At the hour before the darkest light,_

_We shall meet and this ends tonight._

Hermione had pulled out a pen and paper and was jotting the message down. Harry and Ron were just staring at the message, as the smoke slowly dissipated and the ghostly writing faded.

"Did you get all that, Hermione?" Ron asked marvelling at the biro she was using.

Hermione glowered at him.

"So it doesn't say who, then does it?" Harry said.

They sat down around the chess table and ignored a gnome that streaked across the green grass waving its trousers in the air. A cold breeze wafted across the land and Harry shivered wondering whether it was the fear he was beginning to feel or if it was something else completely. Would this ever end? He asked himself, barely hearing Hermione as she repeated the message. Voldemort was dead. Surely he didn't need to fight anymore.

"It's the Elder wand, Harry," Hermione gasped.

Harry jolted upright.

"What?"

"You put it back in Dumbledore's tomb, didn't you?" Ron said.

Harry nodded.

"Well it says there "near the marble where lies my prize" they are after the Elder Wand," Ron finished.

Hermione was still poring over the note.

"And it's today at eleven," she said, looking completely horrfied.

Harry said what everyone else had not.

"I have to go back to Hogwarts don't I? That's where the Dark Lord was finally defeated."

Hermione got up.

"We have to go soon then, don't we. I'm going to pack what we might need," she said walking to the Burrow.

Harry nodded, his head a swirl of confusion. Who had sent the message, who wanted the Elder Wand so badly? Could Harry beat him and if he didn't he would die, wouldn't he, and all those deaths would have been for nothing, Sirius, Tonks, Fred, Lupin, his parents, Mad-eye, all for nothing.

Ron placed a hand on Harry's shoulder.

"You'll win this, mate," he said boldly.

Harry looked into Ron's eyes.

"But when will this finally end?"

And a hundred miles away at Hogwarts, Harry's last deadly enemy, prepared for the battle that would finally grant him the Death Stick, the Wand of Destiny and destroy the boy who lived forever.


	2. Chapter 2

The Duel Part Two: Cruoris Nota

"So who do you guys think this Dark Wizard is?" said Harry, taking a sip from his goblet of butter beer.

Harry, Ron and Hermione were squeezed around a table at a very busy Rosmerta's. Since the fall of Voldemort, Hogsmeade had been in perpetual celebration mode, with those who were drinking to the bravery of loved ones lost in the Battle of Hogwarts, others toasting the end of an era of fear and terror, then others raising a glass to the boy who lived, who unbeknown to them, was only a few tables away.

"I don't know, mate," said Ron, "But whoever he is, he doesn't stand a chance. All the Death Eaters are in Azkaban and with Kingsley at the Ministry, the Order is stronger than ever. This beard is really itchy though..."

"And you think these eyelashes are any better? Honestly why anyone would want eyelashes so long and unsightly? I wish I'd trimmed them earlier they keep dropping into my eye," said Hermione crossly, peering into a handheld mirror she'd pulled out of her handbag.

Harry could feel the corners of his lips twitching. He wanted to laugh and a well aimed kick from under the table made him wince in pain. Ron glowered at him but Harry could still feel the laugh coming. They had been forced to find hairs for Polyjuice Portion from some muggles in London at very short notice. Harry had come off best from the experience and was a tall young man in his early twenties. Hermione had a fake tan, long painted fingernails, platinum blonde hair and the offending fake eyelashes. She was also a few inches taller and more than a few pounds lighter. Ron's muggle seemed to have been growing his beard for some sort of competition. It was thick and bushy, very much like Hagrid's but bigger and seemed to have its own animal life. Ron kept scratching at it and he was shorter and squat and at least five years older than his usual self.

"Never mind how you look, we will all be back to normal in a few hours. You know we couldn't risk coming here looking like ourselves. Tell me one more time how this whole Cruoris-Nota thing works, Hermione," said Harry.

Ron kicked him in the shin again as a few people looked in their direction.

"Not so loud, you idiot," said Ron.

Hermione looked away from her mirror for a moment and cleared her voice. She looked as if she was about to answer a question in Herbology.

"You and the other dueller have to be at the duelling point at exactly eleven. If either of you doesn't show, the curse will destroy both of you in exactly twenty four hours," Hermione suddenly looked worried.

"No problem then, a quick expelliarmus, tie the Deatheater up and report them to Kingsley, it shouldn't be too difficult, right?" said Harry.

Hermione and Ron were suddenly looking at each other and avoiding Harry's eyes. Ron had turned bright red and Hermione was chewing on the long fingernails.

"What?" Harry demanded.

"It's just not going to be that easy," Ron started.

Hermione looked like she was going to burst into tears.

"Explain," said Harry, his teeth clenched. He was beginning to get worried; he had convinced himself that it would be easy. He had duelled the greatest Dark Wizard of their time and won. He wasn't getting cocky and knew that any duel had its dangers; he just hadn't considered that there would be any other outcome.

"Well, mate, there's a lot of that chapter I seem to have skipped," said Ron, scratching vigorously at his beard.

"It's a duel to the death, Harry," said Hermione pushing back tears, "That's why it was in Magicke Most Evil. When you duel you have to have it in your heart to kill your opponent. You can't duel with the hope of sparing them otherwise the curse will claim you, one of you will have to die tonight."

Harry nearly dropped his butterbeer in shock. His head was buzzing and Hermione and Ron seemed to be speaking to him from miles away. It was as if he was in a bubble. _One of you will have to die tonight. _Did it always have to come to this for him? Must his life always come at the expense of a death?

"Why didn't you tell me before I accepted the challenge, Hermione?" said Harry, his voice incredibly low and controlled.

Hermione burst into tears, wrecking havoc on the make-up on her face.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I never read the whole chapter either, I was concentrating on Horcruxes. I only read a bit more than Ron."

Ron put his arm around her. People were beginning to stare openly at their table. Harry didn't really care. Nothing mattered right then, it seemed as if whatever happened, he was doomed to die. His mother's sacrifice had only postponed the inevitable.

"So if the other wizard doesn't kill me and I stun them, I'll die from the curse but because they were trying to kill me, they'll live?"

"You don't get it Harry. Someone has to die. Both of you can't survive this. If both of you are still alive after twenty four hours, the curse will claim you both," said Hermione, tears now flowing freely down her face.

Harry could feel the rage building up inside him, like coals being heaped slowly over a fire.

"There must be a way," he shouted, slamming his fist on the table.

Ron looked around worriedly, the whole bar had gone quiet and everyone was now looking at them.

"I think we'd better leave now," he said, getting up.

Harry had turned bright red with anger but even he knew they couldn't stay here.

The trio walked out quickly and in silence. Nothing seemed worth saying.

"We'll find a way through this, Harry. I'll think of something," said Hermione finally, sobbing.

Hogwarts loomed large in the Horizon, beautiful and haunting. Harry approached with trepidation, the heat of his anger being cooled by the frosty fear that was descending over him. This was the only true and happy home that Harry had ever known, how fitting that he should die here. There seemed to be no other outcome. He was no killer. Even in the heat of battle he had chosen to disarm, even when facing evil incarnate his first instinct was to save and not to harm. Harry Potter the Master of Death and the owner of the most dangerous wand in existence could not knowingly kill anyone.

"How will the curse kill me, Hermione?"

"Don't talk like that, Harry," Ron started to say.

"I have a right to know," Harry snapped, "How, Hermione?"

"The curse is really dark magic. You'll start feeling ill, Harry. Really ill, the blood that binds you will affect your heart. You are connected by the tube and after the appointed time arrives, it will start glowing. Every hour you are both alive it will get hotter and hotter and at exactly eleven tomorrow if you both live, it will explode, and so will both your hearts..."

Even though the birds of the night were singing and insects nearby were in cacophony, an eerie silence enveloped them. Harry felt frozen in time and found he couldn't move his limbs. Ron placed a firm hand on his shoulder to hold him upright.

"What if I let him kill me, then what Hermione?"

In the darkness, Hermione gasped.

"You can't, Harry!"

"Then what, Hermione?" he whispered.

"Then your half of the tube will break off, ending the enchantment."

Harry felt dizzy and swayed on his feet.

"Easy mate," said Ron.

Hermione started crying again but Harry didn't care anymore. He was going to die.

They walked on in heavy silence, time inching ever closer to the moment of truth.

In Hermione's handbag the tube glowed a pale white and at Hogwarts, Harry's enemy waited with bated breath. Soon he would possess and control the greatest wand ever made and do what Voldemort could not, he would kill Harry Potter.


End file.
